Whisper
by angellwings
Summary: Natella. "Nate heard strumming and soft singing coming from one of the rooms along the hall. It was quiet, but it still managed to echo in the silence." For LaPaige's prompts. Partly based on the song "Tailor Made" by Colbie Caillat.


**A/N: **This is for LaPaige's prompt #39: Mixed Emotion. The song used in this one is called **"Tailor Made" and it's by Colbie Caillait**. Enjoy!

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_Whisper_

By angellwings

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Nate heard strumming and soft singing coming from one of the rooms along the hall. It was quiet, but it still managed to echo in the silence. It was early morning and no one would be in the venue until after lunch at the earliest. That was why Nate was here. It would be a quiet place for him to finish the song he started the other day _and_ the speech he was supposed to give at Jason and Caitlyn's engagement party.

But he was surprised to hear that there was someone else here as well. The singing sounded familiar, but it was too soft for him to really place it. It grew louder the further he walked down the hall, and finally it was the loudest as he neared his own dressing room. His brow furrowed. He really hoped it wasn't some crazy fan that'd snuck into the venue.

At that moment though he recognized the voice, and smiled. No, it wasn't a crazy fan. It was Ella. The door was cracked open a bit and he smiled as he gently pushed it open the rest of the way. Her back was to the door, but he could see her hunched over her guitar with a note pad off to the side.

She was writing a song. His eyes widened in surprise _not_ because he didn't think Ella _could_. He knew she could. He'd heard a few songs she'd written while they worked at Camp Rock. She was a very good song writer. No, he was surprised to see that she _would_ write a song. Ella hadn't written a song in ages. As a matter of fact, she hadn't performed in ages either. Not since they all began to think about their lives _after_ Camp Rock, that is.

He didn't know why. He didn't know if she just got caught up in her career or if maybe she was afraid. He thought it was more likely that it was the latter. Ella loved performing, but he knew she had insecurities in that area. Most of them came from spending so much time as Tess's back up singer. He always suspected that she was unsure of whether or not she had enough talent to perform on her own.

She did, and everyone knew she did. She just needed to discover that for herself.

_That's_ why he was surprised to find her working on a song.

She suddenly grunted in frustration and he was pulled back to reality. She ran her petite hands through her dark hair and Nate was distracted by a flash of silver on her wrist. He smirked when he realized what it was. It was a cheap piece of Connect Three jewelry that the sold in their official store online. It was a silver chain with a small charm on the end of it. There were three different versions of the bracelet available to purchase. One for each member of the band. Each charm was a different color and bore a different members name and likeness.

Nate knew Mitchie and Caitlyn had bought them as a joke. Mitchie had Shane's and Caitlyn had Jason's. And apparently Ella had his. That thought made his heart jump into his throat. Did she mean it like Mitchie and Caitlyn did? Or did she just think it was funny?

He lost his hold on the door knob and the door began to drift away from him. Before he could stop it the handle knocked against the wall. Ella spun around as best she could while remaining seated and stared at him with wide eyes. She was frozen for a brief moment before she spoke.

"Nate? What are you doing here?"

"I—um, well, I—what are _you_ doing here?" He asked. He'd tried to think of something to say to explain himself, but the words just wouldn't come out. All he could gather enough wits to do, it seemed, was repeat her question to him.

She quirked a brow at him and gave him a confused smile. "I asked you first."

He took a deep breath and shook himself out of his previous thoughts. "I, um, came to have a little time away from the chaos to work. You?"

She nodded. "The same." She cleared her throat nervously. "Sorry that I stole your dressing room. I know it probably seems really weird for me to pick this room out of all the rooms here to do this in. I should probably get out of your way."

She stood and started to gather her things, but he stepped forward and stopped her. "No, it's fine, really. You don't have to leave. I just needed to work on my speech for Jason and Caitlyn's engagement party anyway. I can manage to do that while you work on your _song_. I think I'd like to hear it anyway, if you don't mind."

She blushed and smiled at him. "I—I don't mind. I kind of came in here because I thought it might—well, I mean you're such a good songwriter that I thought if I was in here…then it might help me finish this," she said quietly before she bit her lip and grimaced. "That sounds stupid, doesn't it?"

He smiled warmly at her. "No, it's not stupid, El. It's a little unorthodox, but it makes sense in a way."

"It's just that you always write such good songs I thought if I was in a place where you felt like _you_ could write then I could too," She explained further. "_But_ since I seem to be stuck on this particular song I don't think my theory is correct. I need to finish it too. I was hoping I'd have it done in time for the engagement party."

His brow furrowed. "Is it for Jason and Caitlyn?"

"Well, yeah, but more for Caitlyn, really."

"Would you like some help?" He asked.

"I thought you needed to work on your speech?" She asked.

"I do, but it's practically finished. I can work on it later," he lied. In reality, he'd yet to start it. He didn't mind performing in front of thousands of fans, but the idea of making a speech terrified him. He was putting it off for as long as he could.

"Okay, if you're sure then I could really use the help," She said with a nod. He noticed she kept the wrist wearing the charm bracelet hidden, and he wondered how long she'd been wearing it and how he'd not seen it sooner.

He nodded and motioned for her to sit down. She sat and pulled her guitar back into her lap. And he sat down across from her. "Can I hear what you've got so far?"

She bit her lip and nodded. He could tell she was nervous. She glanced down at her guitar before looking back up at him. "If it's not any good feel free to tell me."

He chuckled and smirked at her. "Ella, have I ever lied to _anyone_ when it comes to music?"

She smiled at him in amusement and shook her head. "No, never."

"Then I'm not going to lie to you. But I seriously doubt it's going to be bad."

She blushed again, and he couldn't help but think it made her even more beautiful. "Right, okay. Well, here we go."

She started to strum and Nate couldn't help but stare at her hands as they worked against the strings and the wood. He'd never really gotten a chance to see Ella play the guitar before. If he hadn't been attracted to her before, he definitely would have been now. His eyes drifted to her face when she started sing.

"_Twenty-five,  
All of these mixed emotions,  
Tangled up in pure confusion,  
It's hard to let go of the past, _

_but it seems easier as time is moving,  
Well, you said he makes you laugh,  
And he makes you happy,  
He sees you smiling back,  
It is everlasting,_

_And so he's tailor made for you.  
With stunning golden hues,  
And one sweet tone to soothe,  
Your persistent beating heart it's just a start.  
And I, have seen you everyday.  
You've never been like this before.  
He's tailor made. _

_Tailor, tailor made."_

She stopped playing and sighed. "And that's where I'm stuck. I have the chorus and the first verse, but I can't get started on a second verse or a bridge. I'm blocked."

She looked up and met his eyes and felt pride swell up in her chest at what she saw there. He looked impressed. He was impressed _with her_. He had lifted his eyebrows and he was nodding his head thoughtfully. "Ella, honestly, I don't think you need much help from me. That's a _beautiful_ song."

She smiled. "Thanks, but you're wrong…I do need your help. I've only got half of the song finished."

He narrowed his eyes on her notepad and picked it up. He stared at the words on the page for a while before he spoke. "My first instinct is to tell you to reference your first verse. Maybe used 'mixed emotions' again. Other than that I would just say you should think about Jason and Caitlyn, and all the times you've seen them together. Maybe think about the little things that they do for each other that they don't think anyone notices or…" He stopped when he saw a small grin stretch across Ella's lips. "What?"

"There was this one thing…" Ella said softly. "I don't think Jason realized that I heard him, but it was at the Grammys last year. Well, the after party. We were all sitting at our table and everyone was busy with their dates…except, you know, me."

She paused and cleared her throat, and he fought back a wince. He should have asked her instead of Sheri. Sheri spent the entire night shoving herself and Nate in front of any camera she saw. He had _not_ had fun. And Ella had been there alone. At the time, she'd pretended it hadn't bothered her, but he knew it had.

"_Anyway_," She said as she continued on. "I looked over at them and Jason leaned toward her and I _heard_ him whispering…" She smiled softly as her sentence trailed off.

"What? What did he whisper?" Nate asked as he put the notepad down and leaned toward her.

"It was the sweetest thing in the world. He just point blank said, 'I'm absolutely falling in love with you, Caity.' Who does that?" Ella asked. "Nobody does that. Only Jason. It was absolutely adorable. I've never known anyone who was ever that upfront and honest with their feelings. _Ever_. It just reinforced what I already knew about them."

"And what's that?" Nate asked softly and curiously.

Ella shrugged and smiled brightly at him. "They're meant to be. I feel like they always have been. I mean, yeah it took them a while to figure it out, but even before they got together and we were all campers…didn't you always feel like there was just _something_ between them?"

Nate nodded and smiled affectionately at Ella. "Yeah, I did. You should put that in the song."

"What?" Ella asked.

"The story about him whispering. That should be in the song," Nate told her. "It obviously spoke volumes to you, and I'm sure it's something the both of them still remember, _so_ it should be in the song."

She nodded her head and glanced at her notepad. "You're right." She bit her bottom lip and snatched the pad off the table and started to furiously scribble. He tried not to watch her but the inspired light in her eyes made it very hard. She was so far into the song right now, anyway, that he didn't think she'd notice. He didn't know how long it had been but he snapped back to reality when Ella dropped her pen and sat up excitedly. "Done! I think…"

"Let me hear it," He said with a smirk as he nudged her foot with his.

She grinned at him and quirked an eyebrow. She nudged his foot in return. "You're being awfully demanding. I didn't even hear the magic word. Maybe I'll make you wait until the party."

He glared playfully at her. "_Please_, Ella? Can I hear the rest of the song? _Please?_"

She laughed at him. "Okay, okay. You don't have to beg."

He chuckled and rolled his eyes. "You're mean."

She glanced up at the ceiling and shrugged cutely. "Only sometimes."

She began to strum again and he was captivated by her once again.

"_So let go all of these mixed emotions,  
Forget all your hesitations,  
Together entwined inside this feeling,  
Feet off the ground, head hits ceiling,  
Then he whispered in your ear,  
He's absolutely falling,  
The words he said are clear,  
So don't insist on stalling_

_Because he's tailor made for you,  
With stunning golden hues,  
And one sweet tone to soothe,  
Your persistent beating heart it's just a start,  
And I, have seen you everyday,  
You've never been like this before,  
He's tailor made,_

_Oh sister, don't be troubled,  
Oh sister, please be calm,  
Cause this isn't, what you're used to, at all,_

_He's tailor made for you,  
With stunning golden hues,  
And one sweet tone to soothe,  
Your persistent beating heart it's just a start,  
And I, have seen you everyday,  
You've never been like this before,  
He's tailor made, tailor, tailor made."_

She hesitantly looked up at him when she was done and he smiled brightly at her.

"That was _perfect_, Ella. Really. They're going to love it," Nate assured her as he reached across the space between them and patted her knee. Her eyes fell to his hand as he pulled it away and she blushed.

"Thank you."

"About the party," Nate said slowly.

"Yes?" She asked immediately. She looked up at him eagerly and he grinned.

"Do you have a date, yet?" Nate asked.

She shook her head. "No, not yet."

He ducked his head and rubbed his neck before continuing nervously. "Would you like to go with me? As…_my _date?"

She beamed at him and nodded excitedly. "I would _love_ to, Nate."

He sighed in relief and smiled easily at her. "Good."

She giggled at him. "Nervous, were you?"

"Well, only a little," He told her with a smirk. "It helped that you're wearing a picture of me on that bracelet around your wrist."

Her eyes widened and her face turned bright red. "Y—you saw that?"

He nodded and smiled. "I did."

"That's embarrassing," Ella mumbled.

He stood and took the guitar out of her hands and set it to the side. He grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet. He held both of her hands in his. "Actually, I thought it was cute."

"You did?" She asked suspiciously.

"I did," He admitted. "I also feel like an idiot for not asking you out on a date sooner. I wanted to, but I didn't know if you felt for me what I feel for you."

He heard her suck in a breath and her eyes never left his as she spoke. "And what do you feel for me, Nate?"

"I think that maybe Jason and Caitlyn aren't the only ones tailor made for each other," Nate told her seriously. She smiled softly at him.

"That's really very sweet, Nate, but that's not what I asked," Ella said gently. "You didn't answer my question."

His eyes widened. "No, I guess I didn't."

She gave him a challenging yet warm look and waited patiently. Her fingers were entwined with his and Nate felt her squeeze his hands. She spoke up quietly, "Just be honest, Nate. That's all I want."

He tugged her closer until they were separated by only a centimeter or two. He leaned toward her ear, and whispered. "Just don't run away from me after I say this."

He paused and waited until he saw Ella nod very slowly. She whispered in return. "I won't."

He closed his eyes and spoke very softly into her ear. "I love you, Ella. I don't know when I fell, but I did and there was no stopping it. I love you more than I ever thought possible."

She didn't say anything, and all he could hear for a long time was her breathing. He feared the worst when she started to pull her hands from his. He squeezed them tighter and tried to keep her from letting go, but she still managed to wiggle them free. He waited for her to pull completely away and walk out the door. He'd scared her away. He felt more strongly about her than she did about him, and he terrified her by admitting it.

That's why he nearly jumped when he felt Ella's hands on his shoulders. She chuckled lightly at him. "Nate, relax. I'm not leaving. I promise."

His shoulders relaxed and he breathed a sigh of relief. He felt her hands press down on his shoulders lightly and her head raised a couple of inches in his peripheral vision. She was standing on her tip toes. He smiled affectionately at that. She leaned forward toward his ear and when she was as close as she get given their height difference. She spoke, "I love you too, Nate, with all of my heart. I have for years."

He beamed and couldn't stop himself from wrapping his arms around her and pulling her flush against him. Her feet were barely touching the ground and she leaned into him to keep from falling. She tucked her head underneath his chin and closed her eyes. She breathed in his scent and memorized the sound of his heartbeat. She nearly couldn't believe it. This man loved her. _He_ loved _her_.

Nate pulled back and swiftly dipped his lips down to capture hers. Ella made a muffled surprised noise, but closed her eyes and melted into it. She parted her lips, and Nate let out a soft groan as his tongue touched hers. He held her tighter and gradually pushed them back toward the nearest wall. Ella's feet touched the ground again as he pressed her against the wall. He'd rested one hand on either side of her head. Her hands left his neck and wrapped around his mid-section to pull him down closer to her. One of his hands left the wall to circle her waist, and Ella gasped when she felt his hand against her bare back. Her shirt had ridden up and Nate's callused fingers were now absently caressing her back.

Everything about Ella right now was driving him crazy. He'd accidentally ended up caressing her back. He hadn't realized her shirt had ridden up when he'd moved his hand, but now that he'd come into contact with the soft skin on her back…he couldn't seem to pull his hand away. In fact, it made him want to touch _more_ of her skin. The hand that he still had on the wall landed on her neck. His thumb fell against the bottom of her cheek and traced a line across her skin. He deepened the kiss again and he felt Ella completely melt. She whined and leaned her weight against the wall. His hand stayed underneath the bottom of her shirt but moved from her back to her hip.

Ella pulled away with a gasp to catch her breath. "God, Nate. I can't—even…"

Her words trailed away as Nate chuckled brought his lips down to kiss her neck. He trailed kisses up her neck and her jaw and stopped on a spot just below her ear. He smirked. "You can't even what?"

"Hm?" She asked distractedly. "I—I don't remember."

He laughed softly and placed one last deep kiss on her lips before he rested his forehead against hers.

"You really should have kissed me like that sooner," Ella told him with a happy sigh.

He chuckled. "You're right, I apologize. I guess we'll just have to make up for lost time."

She smirked at him. "Yes, we will…_after_ you finish your speech."

His shoulders sagged. "You just had to bring that up, didn't you?"

"Well, you said you were practically finished. So, the sooner you get it done the sooner we can go back to making out," She told him.

He groaned. "But I'm _not_ practically finished."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "You're not?"

"No, I just said that so you'd let me hear your song."

She smacked his arm and scolded him. "Nate! The party is _tomorrow_."

He growled in frustration. "I know, but I _hate_ making speeches."

Ella rolled her eyes. "I'll help you. Once we start on it, it shouldn't take long."

He grinned evilly. "You're going to _help_ me, huh?"

She glared at him. "Don't get any ideas, Mister."

"Oh, I _already_ have ideas about how you can _help_ me, El."

"Nate, really, putting this off is only going to make things harder on you lat—"

Ella's words were cut off by Nate's lips on hers. She tried to pull away at first but when he pulled her closer she whined and gave up. There was something to be said for improvised speeches, she thought as her hands sunk into his curls.


End file.
